District hires doctor to study school illness reports

Complaints of allergy-like illnesses have dogged Lamarque Elementary School in North Port.

GABRIELLE RUSSON

The price tag continues to rise as school officials spend more money investigating Lamarque Elementary, a school that has been plagued with problems since the doors first opened.

After spending more than $250,000 already this year, the board approved up to $215,500 more Tuesday to hire a medical doctor who specializes in toxicology. The doctor will study staff members' health complaints and then give written recommendations back to Sarasota County Schools.

The board approved the contract 4-0, with board member Carol Todd absent, after two people criticized the district's handling of the situation during a moment that briefly became heated.

"Something needs to be done," said Lamarque parent Andrea Furia as she hit the podium. "Close the school or pull the kids out."

The Larmarque issue was pressing for school officials, who rushed to vote on it Tuesday.

They did not place the issue on the meeting agenda beforehand or have a copy of the actual contract available Tuesday.

Schools officials stopped short of saying there is anything wrong with the North Port elementary where more than 10 staff members complained of allergy-like symptoms. Nor does the situation involve Chinese drywall, they said.

But officials said hiring Dr. James McCluskey, from the University of South Florida's College of Public Health, is important for doing due diligence and examining all options.

"We are not confirming we have issues at Lamarque Elementary," Board Member Frank Kovach said during a Tuesday workshop when Superintendent Lori White briefed them on the new contract. "We're doing everything we possibly can to see if there's something going on over there."

Worried parents

Less than five minutes before Tuesday's board meeting started, the district gave out an email that had the terms of what was expected to be in the contract.

According to the email, the district will pay up to:

n$62,500 for clinical evaluations for up to 25 people as well as exam and travel costs for each exam.

n$125,000 for medical record review, literature review and report preparation.

n$6,250 for clinic rental expense reimbursements.

n$21,750 review of documents and additional interaction with team.

White said she expected the actual costs to come back lower.

McCluskey's credentials include a doctorate degree in toxicology and a title as director of the USF Occupational Health Surveillance and Preventive Services Program and medical director of USF's Center for Environmental/Occupational Risk Analysis and Management, according to the university.

Furia said the contract is not enough.

"I'm not going to send my kids back to school. What is anybody going to do? We need answers," the North Port mother said.

The district planned a 7 p.m. telephone conference call with parents Tuesday.

In August and September, the district tested for contaminants but reported no unhealthy levels of pollutants, officials said during a Nov. 13 press conference.

More than 10 Lamarque staff members complained about allergy-like symptoms.

The problems at Lamarque, a $26 million school that opened in August 2006, are not new.

Last school year, some teachers said they smelled rotten eggs, a noxious odor that at times grew strong and then would disappear other times.

"We have, for a number of years, been chasing a sewer smell," said Scott Lempe, the district's chief operating officer, during Tuesday's meeting.

The district has spent thousands of dollars hiring consultants and conducting tests to find the cause of the problems. The work included replacing leaky toilet seals, examining waste lines with a camera and running smoke tests.